Understanding Early Years Development Across Your Area
Local Authorities face increasing challenges in identifying developmental needs early, supporting families effectively, and planning for future demand on education and SEND services.
Sentinel’s Early Years Assessment Solution addresses a critical data gap, offering secure, structured data collection from early years providers about children aged 2–4. This information gives authorities the insight they need to understand how children are progressing against the DfE’s Early Years Development Milestones (or local frameworks), and to act earlier when additional support may be needed.
By gaining clearer visibility into early development trends, authorities can not only improve outcomes for individual children — but also anticipate and plan for future service demand, including SEND provision, school readiness, and transport needs, up to three years in advance.
Powerful Features, Real Impact
Smarter Data Collection That Saves Time
Streamline termly data submissions with a secure online portal for early years providers. Built-in validation ensures the data is complete and accurate the first time, cutting admin and back-and-forth.
Configured Around Your Local Needs
Tailor workflows, frequency, and data capture to fit your existing processes, no need for workarounds or system compromises. This reduces training time, avoids confusion, and increases adoption.
Clear Visibility for Faster Decisions
Dashboards and drill-down tools let your teams instantly see trends, track provider performance, and identify children needing support — removing the need for manual reporting or chasing spreadsheets.
Early Insight That Cuts Future Costs
Forecast SEND demand and identify emerging needs up to three years in advance. Early intervention reduces long-term support costs and improves outcomes for children and families.
One Platform, Joined-Up Services
Share early years data securely across education, health, and social care teams to reduce duplication, improve collaboration, and ensure everyone works from the same trusted information.
“The solution has significantly enhanced our early years services, supporting over 480 providers and 13,000 children this term alone. With dashboards at our disposal, monitoring returns has become effortless, allowing us to track claim submissions and send bulk email reminders without relying on individual phone calls."
Birmingham City Council
Early Years Team
